Fire!

It just got dark, and we’re camped in Shawnee State Park near Mann’s Choice, Pennsylvania. I just published a podcast about the EarthQuaker Bike Trip, which can be accessed here. I made a campfire, with only a few sticks and no petroleum, and I’m quite proud of myself.

I didn’t bike today. I was working on a video of our trip for Friends Journal, the major Quaker magazine. Hopefully, they’ll put it on their website, and then I’ll put it on mine. I did have a nice car ride, though. We passed this old warehouse on the way into Bedford, Pa., which made us awestruck:

The fact that someone took the time to do that shows a lot of devotion, if not on the verge of fanaticism.

But this brings me to another issue. On my trip, I’ve been taking photographs of the religious institutions for an interactive map on this site. I have different icons for Jewish, Christian, Hindu, etc. sites, but all I’ve used are Christian. In eight days of biking, I have not seen one thing that hasn’t been Christian.

How do minority faiths survive in the countryside? Where do they go? Are they lonely? These sound like dumb questions, but so many of us have never had to experience life around those who are not like us.

I need to find some minority faiths and interview them. Answers and more, coming up! (Insh’allah.)